would open with me to Luke chapter
9. Luke 9 verse 28. Luke 9, 28. And it came to pass
about an eight days after these sayings, our Lord took Peter
and John and James and went up into a mountain to pray. And
as he prayed, the fashion of his countenance was altered and
his raiment was white and glistening. And behold, there talked with
him two men, which were Moses and Elias, who appeared in glory
and spake of his decease, which he should accomplish at Jerusalem."
Tonight, as we partake of the Lord's table, we, the sovereignly,
lovingly, Elected redeemed sinners have the blessed privilege of
remembering what our Lord accomplished in his death. And the first thing I want to
look at is what he accomplished for his people. And then we'll
look at the blessings we enjoy because of his accomplishment.
In Acts 20 verse 28 we read, take heed therefore unto yourselves
and to all the flock over the which the Holy Ghost hath made
you overseers to feed the church of God which he hath purchased
with his own blood. There was a price required. There
was a price that had to be paid for the salvation of God's church. His holiness, His justice, His
mercy, His grace, His being required the payment. We have sinned. We have all come
short. And this sin cannot be ignored.
It cannot simply be swept under a rug. It must be paid. The wages of sin is death. When Christ shed his blood, when
he gave up his ghost, he paid the wages of sin owed by his
people. When Christ shed his blood, He
accomplished the purchase of his church, the church of God. And in that purchase, what was
being paid? We read in Ephesians 1 verse
7, in whom, in the beloved, in our Lord, we have redemption
through his blood, the forgiveness of sins. Our sins held us bound,
and when we had nothing to pay, Christ shed his blood to redeem
us from that debt. The forgiveness of sins, forgiveness,
the release from bondage or imprisonment, we have such a blessing We have all these epistles written,
all these scriptures written, bound in one volume. And because of that, we have
the blessed privilege of reading the same words of assurance over
and over again. Ephesians 1.7, In whom we have
redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according
to the riches of His grace. Colossians 1.14, In whom we have
redemption through His blood, even the forgiveness of sins. Turn with me to Hebrews chapter
9. Hebrews chapter 9, verse 11. Hebrews 9, 11. But Christ, being come and high
priest of good things to come, by a greater and more perfect
tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this building,
neither by the blood of goats and calves, But by his own blood
he entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal
redemption for us. And the writer continues the
end of verse 26. But now, once in the end of the
world, hath he appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of
himself. by the shedding of his own blood. In the shedding of his blood,
he redeemed us. He obtained forgiveness of our
sins. What's that mean? It means we are cleansed. 1 John
1, 6 and 7 says, if we say that we have fellowship with him and
walk in darkness, we lie and do not the truth. But if we walk
in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship one
with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanseth
us from all sin. We are in our sins filthy, covered
from head to toe in filth, and there is no remedy except for
the blood of our Lord Jesus Christ. Under the blood of Jesus, though
our sins be as scarlet, they shall be white as snow. The blood of our Lord purchased
the Church of God, obtained eternal redemption, the forgiveness of
sins, it cleanses us, and for each soul Christ shed His blood
for, we have this testimony recorded in Romans 5, But God commendeth
his love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died
for us, much more than being now justified by his blood. we shall be saved from wrath
through him. We are justified, justified meaning
rendered righteous, declared righteous, made innocent, free
from fault, free from guilt. By the blood of Christ, this
sinner and all for whom Christ died for is declared by God justified. By his precious blood, we are
cleansed, we are justified, and we are sanctified. Turn over
a couple pages to Hebrews 13. Hebrews 13, verse 12. Wherefore, Jesus also, that he
might sanctify the people with his own blood, suffered without
the gate. The blood of Christ has sanctified,
made holy, separated unto God. The blood he shed to redeem his
people has justified us. Our actions have been made right
and just. And he has sanctified us. He has cleansed us from all sins. Our motives, our heart, our nature has been made right and just. For we read, as he is, so are
we in this world. His shed blood accomplished our
sanctification. Precious blood that our Lord
shed upon that cross has purchased the church of God, obtained eternal
redemption, secured the forgiveness of our sins, cleansed us, justified
us, and sanctified us. And because of all of this, we
have great blessings. We have peace. Colossians 1.20,
having made peace where once there was enmity through the
blood of his cross. We who were once far off from
God are made nigh. Ephesians 2.13, now in Christ
Jesus, ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the
blood of Christ. And this blessing, this blessing that I so often
ignore, take for granted, May the Lord forgive me. May I be
given faith to grasp it with both hands and pursue it with
all my might. Hebrews 10. Hebrews 10 verse 19. Having therefore brethren boldness
to enter in to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus,
by a new and living way, which he hath consecrated for us through
the veil, that is to say, his flesh, and having an high priest
over the house of God, let us draw near with a true heart and
full assurance of faith having our hearts sprinkled from an
evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. As we
partake of this gift of remembrance that he left for us, may we all
remember the accomplishment of his precious blood that has secured
those that he loves. Let's bow together.